The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-01-01
DIPJlTIlERIA.
How II IL Promoted by the Use OF
Coal OIL OF Prevented by the Use
OF Ges.


ing the prevalence Of the dread
disease, the reporter interviewed
James NJ. Starr and found he was
not stranger to the subject,
which struck the reporter as u re-
velation, but well posted upon 1t,
and what he had to say is append
cd to what the JOU,Wdi has to say:
The Journal says: "The theory
of DR.. Wilson, OF Meriden, that the
burning of kerosene oil has some
thing to do with diphtheria is in
teresting. There were seventy
one deaths from diphtheria in the
town of Meriden that year, and by
personal investigation DR.. Wilson
found that in every case the fam
lily used kerosene lamps. There
were many other cases in Meriden
that year, the spread of the dis
ease being from contagion. But
not in single case where gas or
candles were burned was there a
death from that disease"
James NJ. Starr said: "No doubt
most people will be surprised as
much as yourself to learn that
such is the fact, but this is nothing
new to me. / have known it for
years, or ut least have understood
it to be a fact for years, and now
/ am satisfied of it, for have been
making diligent inquiry and find
the reports of the Board of Health
and my investigation demonstrate
the correctness of the theory.
"Twenty-eight years ago the
New York papers charged the pre-
Valence of disease to the use of
coal oil, and twenty-siX years ago
this same DR.. Wilson demonstrate
ed the correctness of the theory in
this same city (Meriden, Conn.)
that the New Haven paper now re-
fers to, and | think ! have demon
strated the correctness of it by in
quiry into one hundred and two
cases that have occurred in this city
between Nov. /, 1885, and Nov. l.,
1886. In ninety-siX of those cases
found the patient belonged to
families using coal oil only; five to
families using both coal oil and
gas, and one was in IL family
where they used gas only; yet the
mother of this child did not think
it was diphtheria and when i call
ed on the attending physician he
said it was not pronounced case,
but could be better defined that
than anything else, and it was
therefore so reported. | have no
doubt that, while the cause of the
temperance Of the disease from
year to year has been owing to the
use of coal oil for lighting purposes,
the large increase this year, and
its unusual prevalence during the
summer months, is owing to the
largely increased use of gasoline Ga
product of kerosene) in gasoline
cooking stoves. 1 know Il half
dozen instances in this city where
diphtheria has appeared in families
within ten days after they began
the partial use Of coal oil.
81 have no doubt, either, that the
increase of pneumonia, which q
prominent doctor tells me has in
creased three or four hundred per
cent, since the introduction of coal
oil, is largely owing to its use, but
this is only guess, as L am no
DOCTOR"
"For instance the Health report
of November shows just 3S eases
of this disease and not one of the
whole number occurred in n house
where coal oil was not used as the
illuminating material. In n few
cases both coal oil and gas were
used, but there was not one case
when either candles or gas was
used solely for Illuminating pur-
poses. SO fully convinced is Mr..
Starr of this theory that he had
candles sent to one family where
diphtheria prevails and asks them
to discard the use of oil until health
returns, at least. One family burn
ed gas until in September when
they discarded it for coal oil and in
six weeks three of the children
were dangerously i'll with the ter
rible throat disease. Mr.. Starr
says that in the last Is months
there has been 1l0 cases of
diphtheria in this city and only
one occurred in house where gas
was used exclusively. and that one
both mother and doctor said, was
not really diphtheria, but closely
resembled it."
Gibis0nyiile, o.
Dec 81 1885